Syllabus for CVV-PAT

Introduction

Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth (CVV), a deemed-to-be-university in the ‘de novo’ category, aims to create an academic platform that bridges the Indian Knowledge Traditions (IKT) with contemporary knowledge systems, with current-day applications in every sphere of society. CVV, through its Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) programme, encourages scholars to produce high-quality research, particularly in interdisciplinary fields.

Admission Process

A two-stage approach is followed for the Ph.D. programme at CVV. In the first stage, the candidate is expected to attend and clear the Ph.D. Admissions Test (PAT). This is an online examination and is scheduled during the second week of April every year. Candidates who successfully complete the PAT, are intimated via an official email. In the second stage, the candidates (who have cleared PAT), are called for an interview where they have to present their research proposals.

About the PAT

It has 100 multiple choice questions, equally distributed across the five areas mentioned below. The duration of the online PAT is 75 minutes. All correct answers carry 1 mark and there is no negative marking for incorrect answers. The main objective of the PAT is to examine the level of awareness of the candidate in the following areas:

• Indic Knowledge Systems 
• Research Methodology
• Management
• Language and Literature
• Logic and Reasoning

Syllabus

(i) Indic Knowledge Systems

The structure of Sanskrit language, Indian knowledge systems (chaturdasha vidyāsthāna-s) including the Veda-s and their branches; the aranyakas, upanishads, samhitas, Ayurveda, vyākaraṇa, dharmasastra, puranas, Indian Astronomy, Indian Mathematics, Indian Philosophy, pramāṇa-s , Indian Architecture, Sanskrit poetry, poetics etc.

(ii) Research Methodology

Research: Importance, defining research problems, formulation of hypothesis, data collection and measurement techniques, sampling and sampling designs, measurement scales, data presentation and analysis techniques, report writing and presentation. 

Reference Books:

• Cooper and Schindler (2013), Business Research Methods, Tata McGraw Hill.
• William G. Zikmund (2012), Business Research Methods, Cengage Learning.
• Uma Sekaran (2018), Research Methods for Business - A Skill-Building Approach, John Wiley. 

(iii) Management

Management Definitions: Nature and importance of management, the evolution of management, Henry Fayol’s 14 Principles of Management, Scientific Management, Hawthorne Studies, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Management by Objective (MBO), Bottom of Pyramid (BOP), SWOT analysis, environmental analysis, Manager v/s Leader and their qualities, functions of managers: planning, organising, directing, staffing, controlling; business ethics; social responsibility of managers. 

Reference Books:

• Peter F. Drucker (2006) Practice of Management, HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
• Peter F. Drucker (2009) Management: Tasks, Responsibilities and Practices, HarperCollins e-books.
• Robbins & Coulter (2018) Management, Pearson.

(iv) Language and Literature

An overview of general English language skill and grammar usage; parts of speech: Types of sentences, conjunction, phrases and clauses; transformations, word meanings, synonyms, antonyms, punctuation, phrasal verbs and idioms, prepositions, comprehension.

Reference Books:

• Abrams, M. H. and Geoffrey Galt Harpham (2015) A Glossary of Literary Terms. Cengage.
• Albert, Edward (2017) History of English Literature. OUP.
• Carter, Ronald and Michael McCarthy (2006) Cambridge Grammar of English. OUP.
• Murphy, Raymond (2013) English Grammar in Use. CUP.

(v) Logic and Reasoning

General mental ability, blood relations, number series, cause and effect, statement-conclusions, logical sequence of words, logical connectives, figure formation and analysis, analytical reasoning.

Reference Books:

• Aggarwal. R. S. (2018) A Modern Approach to Verbal and Nonverbal Reasoning, S. Chand Publications.
• Pandey. M. K. (2018) Analytical Reasoning, BSC Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd.

Model Questions

• How many chapters are there in the Bhagavad Gita?
• What is the name of Lakshman’s wife?
• Who is the father of surgery?
• Which factor belongs to environmental analysis?
• Adam Smith wrote a book titled ________.
• Who developed the Theory of Scientific Management?
• The validity of research can be improved by ________.
• Action research is ________.
• ‘Controlled group’ is a term used in ________ research.
• Which of the following is an example of a non-parametric test?
• Far from being upright and moral, his behaviour showed him to be fallible. The word fallible means ________.
• Some of his colleagues say that he is loud and obnoxious. The word obnoxious means ________.
• Give the antonym of foe.
• Ajay is the brother of Balu. Balu is the brother of Charan. Charan is the husband of Dhanya. Rakesh is the father of Ajay. Dhanya is related to Rakesh as ________.